Many products are shipped and sold in concentrated form to reduce shipping costs, storage space, and shelf space. For example, in the case of citrus juice and other beverages, it is cost effective to first concentrate the product by removing a substantial portion of the juice's water volume at the point of manufacture, and then ship it to the place of sale in concentrated form. From there, the consumer typically empties the beverage concentrate into a large container and reconstitutes the beverage by adding a prescribed amount of water. In other cases, products are concentrated by necessity to "de-activate" the product, and then reactivated at the point of end use by adding a solvent or other fluid, examples of which include latex cements and epoxy glues that set up and harden shortly after the activating fluid is added.
Many different types of containers are used to package concentrated products. For example, composite foil-fiber cans are widely used to package concentrated citrus and other fruit juices. However, these cans are not entirely satisfactory because they are relatively expensive to make, generally do not provide an adequate barrier to oxygen and moisture permeation, and tend to absorb some of the essential oils and critical flavoring components that are present in the beverage concentrate. In addition, foil-fiber cans are notoriously difficult to open with a can opener or by pulling the plastic strip located between the can's lid and body portion that is commonly used on some cans. Moreover, in the case of frozen concentrated beverages, it is difficult to remove the contents from a foil fiber can because the can's rigid sidewalls cannot be easily squeezed to "milk" the product out, thereby requiring the use of a spoon or other utensil to dig the frozen concentrate out of the can. One advantage of the foil fiber can, however, is that after the can's contents have been removed, it can be conveniently used as the means for accurately measuring the amount of water that needs to be added to the beverage concentrate for proper reconstitution because the can's rigidity gives it a constant, repeatable volume.
Citrus beverage concentrates are commonly packaged in 12 ounce (355 ml) foil-fiber cans that have instructions to fill the empty can with 3 volumes of water to make 48 ounces (1.42 l) of single strength beverage, i.e., a 3:1 reconstitution ratio. However, it has been found that even more concentrated citrus beverages are possible, e.g. 5:1, to further reduce shipping costs and storage space while still maintaining high quality standards. However, if a more concentrated form of the beverage, e.g. a 5:1 concentration ratio, is packaged in a foil fiber can to ultimately make 48 ounces of single strength beverage, then the can would initially hold 8 ounces (237 ml) of concentrate and yet need the ability to hold 13.3 ounces (393 ml) of fluid to maintain the "add three cans of water" routine that most consumers are familiar with. Obviously, a 13.3 ounce can that initially holds only 8 ounces of product would have a huge amount of headspace which would lead consumers to believe that some of the product was missing. If the headspace is reduced to a normal level, then an 8 ounce can that contains a 5:1 concentrated beverage would require 5 volumes of water to be added for proper reconstitution, which might confuse consumers and require a major habit change.
Some concentrated products, most notably powder or dry beverages and dehydrated foods, are packaged in pouches made of two superimposed flexible films that are simply sealed together about their peripheral edges and therefore relatively easy and inexpensive to make. However, it has been found that consumers generally do not use the empty pouch as the means for measuring the amount of fluid that needs to be added to the concentrated product, but instead use a separate device such as a rigid measuring cup. It is believed that this habit is primarily because such pouches are very flexible and therefore difficult to grasp and pour from with confidence when the pouch is full of fluid. In addition, since the sidewall panels of most pouches are very flexible, they will deform or collapse a substantial amount when grasped by a consumer, which significantly decreases and varies the amount of reconstituting fluid that the pouch will hold. Furthermore, in the case of liquid or semi-solid concentrated products, which are typically very viscous and sticky, the product causes the pouch's sidewalls to stick to one another when the pouch is opened, thereby requiring the consumer to insert his fingers or another instrument into the opened pouch to pry the pouch's sidewalls apart to gain access to the product.
In light of the above, a principle object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch for containing a concentrated product that can be used as the means for accurately measuring the amount of fluid that needs to be added to the concentrated product.
Another principle object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch that will assume a predetermined configuration upon opening.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch that exhibits superior barrier protection against light, moisture and oxygen.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch that resists the migration into and absorption by the pouch of essential oils and flavoring components found in the product contained therein.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch that will collapse when discarded and thereby reduce the volume of generated waste material.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch for containing a concentrated product that is sufficiently rigid and stable enough to allow a consumer to firmly grasp and pour a fluid from the pouch with confidence.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch for containing a non-concentrated (single-strength) product that is sufficiently rigid and stable enough to allow a consumer to use the pouch as a self-standing drinking cup.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch that can be readily opened without having to use an implement such as a pair of scissors or a knife.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pouch for containing a concentrated product that is rigid enough to provide a constant, predetermined volume for accurate fluid measurement and yet is flexible enough so that the product can be squeezed or "milked-out" from the pouch.